Life upon the stage is a family affair with Rivertown's 'The Music Man'

Updated September 10, 2018 at 1:03 PM;Posted September 10, 2018 at 5:58 AM

The Fouchi family, from left, Tess, Savannah, Kelly and Marc, brings their collective talents to Rivertown Theaters season opening production of 'The Music Man' this week. The show runs through Sept. 27. (Theodore P. Mahne)

In our overly digitally connected world, among the most common complaints people have about the modern workplace is never being able to escape it. The steady flow of text messages, tweets and emails have the office continually invading time at home with spouses and children.

For Marc and Kelly Fouchi, however, bringing their work home usually means including the whole family. In the business we call show, even their young daughters are already veterans.

The whole Fouchi family will be working together as Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts opens its fall season this week with Meredith Willson's perennially popular, all-American show, "The Music Man."

Kelly and her business partner of 10 years, Gary Rucker, are entering their seventh season as producers at Rivertown Theaters. She'll be directing "The Music Man."

Husband Marc is starring as Harold Hill, the lovable scoundrel of a traveling salesman who "gets his foot caught in the door" when he falls in love with the prim town librarian. And their daughters, Tess and Savannah, will co-star as two of the children of River City, Iowa.

THE MUSIC MAN

What: Rivertown Theaters opens its season with Meredith Willson's classic musical about a traveling salesman whose foot gets caught in the door by love with the town librarian. Kelly Fouchi directs.

So what's it like for the family that not only plays together but are in plays together?

"It's truly a collaboration," Kelly said. Once planning and rehearsals for a show start, "we take it home, 24/7."

Theater surrounds the family's homelife even when they aren't preparing a show together. The girls have appeared in other shows and Marc is a featured member of the Big Easy Boys, the popular performing ensemble. Together, Kelly and Marc also operate the Encore Studio of Dance, Tumbling, Music & Theatre, a multi-disciplinary studio training about 375 young performers.

While living it constantly might seem stressful, because the entire family is involved in a shared passion, it actually strengthens their bonds, all agreed.

"It really is the smoothest process possible," Kelly said. "They all take pride in what we've built."

The Fouchi family also was featured in Rivertown's hit production of 'The Will Rogers Follies,' in which Marc played the title role, with Tess and Savannah played his children. Kelly directed that production, as well. (John B. Barrois)

It's a collaboration that has resulted in past hits for the theater, as well. For example, Kelly also directed the dazzling 2015 production of "The Will Rogers Follies," with Marc in the title role and the girls as supporting players. As an actor, Marc responds well to taking direction from his wife.

"She can trust what I'm going to bring to a role," he said, "and I trust what she sees that I might not."

Tess, 15, and Savannah, 12, first appeared together in one of Rivertown's mainstage shows as the younger Louise and Baby June in "Gypsy," in 2013. They each also have appeared in many of the "junior" summer shows, such as "Pinkalicious" and "Junie B. Jones."

When she was just 10, Tess "had to carry the show," playing the lead in "Pinkalicious," appearing onstage with several veteran adult performers, Kelly said. The show was a hit.

For those who might raise questions of favoritism or nepotism, Kelly said she strives to be especially wary of it as a director.

"I'm very aware of what people might think," Kelly said. But she's no overbearing stage mother, demanding that her children are always the star. Indeed, she describes herself as a sort of anti-Mama Rose. Her daughters "have to audition just like everyone else."

Director Ricky Graham cast Savannah in "Junie B. Jones" and Rucker directed Tess in "Pinkalicious." Through those audition processes, mom stayed completely out of the way.

"When I cast them, I really ask myself, 'Is she the best choice.' And very often she is. They've worked hard and have earned that trust," Kelly said.

As a producer and businesswoman, she also knows that box office success depends on putting the best onstage.

"It can't be just good enough," she said. "We've set a bar that our patrons expect."

Being directed by mom can be kind of unusual, Savannah said.

"Sometimes it's confusing," she said, in rehearsals if she's "giving me a note about a performance as a director or as a mom."

Both girls said that they're the first to call her on it if they sense that Kelly is showing them any favoritism. When scoring a role, each said they ask themselves, "Did I earn it?" Experiencing the hard work in putting a show together usually affirms that.

The girls are also becoming pros at the public relations end of theater. Appearing in the junior edition of "Beauty and the Beast" this summer, they enjoyed the "meet and greets" after the show. Tess, who played Belle, said she especially enjoyed posing for pictures with the children enchanted to see their favorite Disney princess in real life.

Because they've grown up around the theater, they've also developed a keen eye for things, and will share their opinions with both Kelly and Marc if they believe something just isn't working.

When Kelly returned to appearing onstage in "Steel Magnolias" earlier this year, giving a sublime performance as M'Lynn, Savannah helped her prepare for the role.

"She ran my lines with me for 'Steel Magnolias,' and we'd cry and cry," Kelly said, now laughing at the bonding experience.

Just as their children have virtually grown up on the boards, so has Marc and Kelly's relationship, much of it at Rivertown.

The couple have been married for going on 19 years. They first met appearing in a Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre production of "South Pacific, in which she was the dance captain. Marc, a former Genesian from Archbishop Rummel High School, was in the ensemble.

Soon afterward, director Alton Geno was preparing a revival of "Anything Goes" at Rivertown and told Kelly to "go out and recruit me some men" for the dance numbers. She remembered Marc.

It was while later appearing together in "Guys and Dolls" that "I snuck in our first kiss," Marc said.

Marc remains Kelly's favorite leading man, both as wife, actress and director, continually impressed with his talent.

"Whatever we throw at Marc," she said, "he can tackle successfully," citing his unexpected rollicking performance at the start of the year as Jerry Lee Lewis in "Million Dollar Quartet," for example.

They are both looking forward to "The Music Man," especially because like his performance as Will Rogers, the role of Harold Hill fits Marc's stage persona so well, that charming, all-American guy with a twinkle in his eye.

After months of planning and fully living with a show with such intensity as a family, there is something of a letdown once the final curtain falls, they all said.

"The day after (a show closes), when I wake up, it's like, 'What do I do now?'" Savannah said. But the next revitalizing show is usually not too far away.